Winder for web materials



Dec.9,1969 MMNST NE 3,482,793

WINDER FOR WEB MATERIALS Filed Oct. 2, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wvsn/ranKENNETH A. MAINSTONE ATTORNEYS Dec. 9, 1969 K. A. MAINS'II'ONE WINDERFOR WEB MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.

United States Patent 3,482,793 WINDER FOR WEB MATERIALS Kenneth A.Mainstone, Fulton, N.Y., assignor to The Black Clawson Company,Hamilton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 2, 1967, Ser. No.672,135 Int. Cl. B65h 19/20, 54/22 US. Cl. 242-56 7 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In apparatus for winding aweb of material onto a core and for cutting and transferring the leadingend of the web from a fully wound roll to an empty core without stoppingthe web, it is common to employ an indexing reel or turret such as shownin Phelps Patent No. 2,943,806 issued to the assignee of the presentinvention. The turret supports a pair of diametrically spaced cores sothat when a roll is almost fully wound on one core, the turret isindexed to transfer the roll to an unloading station and to move anempty rotating core to a web transfer station where the web is directedpartially around the core through a nip formed with a rider roll.Commonly one or more enveloping rolls are brought into engagement withthe web adjacent the empty core to produce substantial envelopment ofthe web around the empty core before transfer.

The web is severed and the leading end is wiped onto the outer surfaceof the empty core by a knife and wiper mechanism which is usuallypivotally supported to move generally tangentially past the empty corein a path partially simulating the required path of the web around thecore. Adhesive is commonly applied to the outer surface of the emptycore, especially with light gage webs, so that p SUMMARY OF THElNVENTION The present invention is directed to a winder incorporating anindexing reel or turret and having an improved web transfer mechanismwhich is highly dependable and is ideally suited for use with very thinwebs such as light gage plastic film material. In general, the winder ofthe invention incorporates a knife cutoff and wiper carriage which iscarried by a pair of arms pivotable between a retracted position toprovide for build up of a roll and indexing the turret, and a positionadjacent an empty core at the web transfer station where the knife andwiper carriage is rotatable on an axis substantially concentric with theaxis of the empty core.

Preferably, the rotational axis of the knife and wiper carriage isslightly offset from the axis of the empty core in a direction towardsthe nip formed with the rider roll so that the wiper effectivelyreleases the web immediately ahead of the nip. As a result of thissubstantially concentric relationship of the rotational axis of theknife and wiper carriage and the axis of the empty core, the leading endof the web is wiped or directed approximately in a circular path aroundthe rotating empty core to assure that the lead end of the web isdirected into the nip formed between the empty core and a rider roll.

The effective wiping action produced by the wiper following the outersurface of the empty core also eliminates the need for pre-coating theouter surface of the empty core with adhesive. In addition, the cutoffknife and wiper mechanism of the invention provide the features of highdependability and compactness, and may be easily adapted for mounting onwinders of various sizes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE'DRAWINGS I FIG. 1 is a vertical section througha turret winder constructed in accordane with the invention, with thecutoff knife and wiper mechanism shown immediately prior to cutting andtransferring the web;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the cutoff knife and wiper mechanismtaken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 3 is a view of the cutolf knife and wiper mechanism taken generallyalong the line 3-3 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is an end view taken generally on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 andshowing the web being transferred; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the support for the knifeand wiper carriage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The turret winder in FIG. 1 isshown as receiving a Web W of material such as plastic film or paper.The winder includes a frame 12 which preferably is formed by a pair ofvertical end stands, one supporting the necessary drive motors (notshown) for the winder and the other supporting the necessary controlcomponents.

A turret 15 includes a center shaft 16 supported by suitable bearings(not shown) mounted on the frame 12. A pair of parallel spaced arms 18are mounted on the shaft 16 and support a pair of diametrically spacedguide rolls 19 and a pair of diametrically spaced core spindles orshafts 20 on which cores 22 are mounted. In a manner well known in theart, the center shaft 16 of the turret 15 is rotatable by a suitableindexing drive (not shown) for moving each core 22 between a Webtransfer station A and a roll unloading station B, and the core shafts20 are independently driven by separate drive motors (not shown).

A lay-on or rider roll 25 is provided for the turret 15 and has aresilient outer surface 26. The rider roll is supported by a pair ofarms 27 which are pivotally supported by the frame 12 for rotation on anaxis substantially aligned with the axis of a guide roll 28 so that therider roll 25 is movable in an arcuate direction indicated by the arrowto provide for build-up of a rewinding roll R at the web transferstation A. Preferably the rider roll 25 is counterbalanced by a set ofopposing air cylinders (not shown) connected to the supporting arms 27.A pair of guide rolls 30 are also supported by the arms 27 and directthe web W from the roll 28 to the rider roll 25.

A roll change mechanism 35 includes a pair of angularly shaped arms 36which are positioned adjacent the end stands of the frame 12 and arerigidly secured to a connecting torque shaft 38 (FIG. 3) bycorresponding pins 39. The shaft 38 is rotatably supported by bearings41 mounted on the frame 12. Each arm 36 has a hooksha-ped upper endportion 42 (FIG. 5) defined by a gap 43 and has formed therein asemi-circular or C-shaped cam track or slot 44. A web cutolf and wipercarriage 45 (FIG. 5) extends between each pair of arms 36 and includes apair of C-shaped end plates 46 rigidly connected by a tubular crossmember 48 having a rectangular crosssectional configuration. A series ofstub shafts 49 (FIG. are mounted on each plate 46 and supportcorresponding rollers 50 which project into the corresponding cam track44 formed within the adjacent arm 36. Spur gear teeth 52 are formed onthe outer periphery of each plate 46.

An elongated knife 55 (FIG. 5) is adjustably mounted on one side of thecross member 48 of the carriage 45 by screws 56 and includes a serratedcutting edge 57. An elongated Wiping brush 58 is also mounted on thecross member 48 of the carriage by adjustable angle brackets 59 (FIG. 2)and incorporates flexible bristles 60 which project radially inwardlytowards the axis 62 (FIG. 1) of curvature of the track for the webcutoff and wiper carriage 45 defined by the cam slots 44. It is to beunderstood that other forms of flexible wipers may be employed in placeof the brush 58, as for example, a thin strip of rubber.

Referring to FIG. 2, a shaft 65 extends between the arms 36 and has endportions rotatably supported by bearings 66 mounted within aligned holesformed within the arms. A large diameter spur gear 68 and adjacentsmaller diameter sprocket 69 are keyed to the shaft 65 adjacent each ofthe arms 36 so that each gear 68 engages the gear teeth 52 formed on thecorresponding C-shaped end plate 46 of the carriage 45.

Referring to FIG. 3, a sleeve 71 is mounted on each end portion of theshaft 38 and is supported by a pair of anti-friction bearings 72. Asprocket 74 is mounted on each sleeve 71 and is connected to thecorrespondingly aligned sprocket 69 by an endless chain 75 having aturnbuckle 76 (FIG. 4) for selecting the desired tension. A stud 78(FIG. 3) extends from each arm 36 and supports an air cylinder 80 havinga piston rod 81 pivotally connected to an ear 82 projecting from thecorresponding sleeve 71. When the piston rods 81 are extended (FIG. 4),the ears 82 for each mechanism 35 engage corresponding limit switches 84which actuate valves (not shown) causing the rods 81 to be retracted.

An air cylinder 90 (FIG. 4) is mounted on the frame 12 by a bracket 91and includes a piston rod 92 pivotally connected to the correspondingarm 36 by a stub shaft 94. The cylinders 90 are supplied with airthrough lines having solenoid actuated reversing valves (not shown)controlled by a pair of limit switches 95 (FIG. 4) adjust ably mountedon the frame 12 and actuated by a stud .96 projecting from the adjacentarm 36.

In operation, when a winding roll R of web material is approaching itsdesired diameter on a core 22 positioned at the transfer station A, thecorresponding rider roll 25 is raised by air cylinders (not shown), andthe turret is slowly rotated to index an empty rotating core 22 to thetransfer station A. The roll change mechanism 35 is moved by the aircylinders 90 from its retracted position to a position where theC-shaped cam tracks 44 and correspondingly shaped plates 46 of thecarriage 45 partially encompass the rotating shaft 20 of the empty coreas illustrated in FIG. 1. As mentioned above, the axis 62 of curvatureof the tracks for the carriage 45 is slightly offset in relation to theaxis of the rotating empty core 22 towards the nip formed with the riderroll 25.

When it is time to sever and transfer the web W from the full roll R toa rotating empty core 22, the pair of cylinders 80 are actuated torotate the corresponding pair of gears 68 and thereby to rotate thecarriage 45 quickly on its axis 62. The quick rotation of the carriagecauses the serrated edge 57 of the knife 55 to sever the web and thebrush 58 to wipe the leading end of the web in a circular path aroundthe outer surface of the core 22 and into the nip formed with the riderroll 25. The slightly offset relation of the rotational axis of thecarriage 45 assures that the bristles 60 of the brush 58 or any otherflexible wiper will release the end of the web immediately before thecarriage stops and the web enters the nip as illustrated in FIG. 4. Anumber of rollers 50 are mounted on each plate 46 to assure that atleast two or three rollers remain in each track 44 after the carriage 45is rotated approximately 180 and thereby maintain the alignment of thecarriage.

When the knife and brush reach the positions shown in FIG. 4, the limitswitches are actuated, causing the cylinders 80 to reverse and therebyto rotate the knife and Wiper carriage 45 in a counterclockwisedirection so that the knife 55 and brush 58 return to their normal orhome position as shown in FIG. 1. The cylinders are then actuated tomove the arms 36 and thereby to retract the carriage 45 away from thenewly formed roll and to enable the roll to build up against the forceexerted by the rider roll 25.

From the drawings and the above description, it can be seen that awinder having a mechanism 35 constructed in accordance With the presentinvention provides several desirable features and advantages. Forexample, the C- shaped end portion 42 on each of the arms 36 and theC-shaped gear segments or plate 46 on the carriage 45 traveling in thecam tracks 44 make it possible for the knife 55 and wiper brush 58 tomove about an axis substantially concentric with the axis of an emptyrotating core 22 positioned at the web transfer station A. Thus afterthe web is cut by the serrated edge 57 of the knife 55, the leading endof the web is held in contact with the outer surface of the rotatingcore by the brush 58 to assure that the leading end of the web envelopesthe core and enters the nip formed with the rider roll 25.

The substantially concentric movement of the knife and brush relative toan empty core is especially suitable for light gage plastic film andeliminates the need for precoating adhesive on the outer surface of theempty core. The arrangement of the gears 68 connected by the shaft 65and the chains 75 connecting the sprockets 69 and 74 for rotating eachcarriage 45 also provides the advantages of a positive acting mechanismwhich assures that the knife 55 and brush 58 will remain preciselyparallel with the empty core as the carriage is rotated.

The simplified construction of each mechanism 35 also provides theimportant feature of high dependability and thereby assures that a webtransfer from a fully wound roll R to an empty core 22 will not bemissed. Furthermore, each mechanism 35 requires very low maintenance andis compact in construction so that it is particularly suited for use onvarious size winders. It is also to be understood that the windingapparatus of the invention may be employed for winding a plurality ofwebs on a common core or on corresponding cores mounted on a common coreshaft.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for providing a smooth and dependable transfer of a webfrom a winding roll to a rotating empty core without stopping the Weband especially adapted to eliminate the need for adhesive on the core,comprising means for supporting the core and the roll in parallel spacedrelation, a carriage including cutoif knife and Wiper means, meanssupporting said carriage for rotary movement on an axis substantiallyconcentric with the axis of the core to move said knife and wiper meansin an arcuate path extending around the core to sever the web and todirect the leading end of the web around the core, and means forproducing relative movement between said carriage supporting means andthe core to provide for buildup of a roll of web material on the core.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said carriage supportingmeans includes a pair of parallel spaced arms, a rotatable torque shaftrigidly connecting arms, C-shaped guide means on each said arm, saidcarriage including a C-shaped follower member supported for travel ineach said guide means, an elongated cross member rigidly connecting saidfollower members and supporting said knife and wiper means, and meansfor effecting simultaneous rotation of said follower members to providefor uniform movement of said knife and wiper means in said path aroundthe empty core.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said C- shaped guide means oneach said arm include means defining a C-shaped slot, and a plurality ofrollers mounted on each said follower member and extending within thecorresponding said slot.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for effectingrotation of each said follower member include gear teeth on the outerperiphery of each said follower member, a gear supported by each saidarm and engaging said teeth, means connecting said gears forsimultaneous rotation, and fluid cylinder means for rotating said gears.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said means for effectingrotation of each said follower member include a first sprocket mountedon each said arm and connected to the corresponding said gear, asubstantially larger second sprocket rotatably mounted on said torqueshaft in alignment with the corresponding said first sprocket, chainmeans connecting each set of said corresponding first and secondsprockets, and said fluid cylinder means including an air cylindermounted on each said arm and connected to rotate the corresponding saidsecond sprocket.

6. Apparatus for winding a roll of web material on a core and fortransferring the web from a fully wound roll to a rotating empty corewithout stopping the web,

said

comprising a turret having means supporting at least two cores inparallel spaced relation, means rotatably supporting said turret forindexing each said core between a roll unloading station and a webtransfer station, a rider roll positioned to form a nip with a corepositioned at said transfer station, a carriage including a :utoff knifeand wiper member, means supporting said carriage for rotary movement onan axis substantially concentric with the axis of an empty corepositioned at said transfer station to move said knife and wiper memberin an arcuate path extending around said core to sever the web anddirect the leading end of the web into said nip, and means for movingsaid carriage supporting means relative to said turret to retract saidcarriage from said transfer station to provide for build-up of a roll ofweb material and for indexing said turret.

7. Apparatus for providing a smooth and dependable transfer of a webfrom a winding roll to a rotating empty core without stopping the web,comprising means for supporting the core and the roll in parallel spacedrelation, a carriage including cutoff knife and wiper means, meanssupporting said carriage for rotary movement on an axis substantiallyconcentric with the axis of the core, and means for rotating saidcarriage to move said knife and wiper means in an arcuate path extendingaround the core to sever the web and direct the leading end of the webaround the core.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,586,832 2/1952 Kohler 242-562,943,806 7/1960 Phelps 242-66 3,345,009 10/1967 Rockstrom 242'56 GEORGEF. MAUTZ, Primary Examiner

